A person who is learning to use a wheelchair or crutches must be trained to enter into and exit from an automotive vehicle, in particular a car. If the person is able to drive in spite of his or her handicap, he or she must be taught how to get into the front vehicle seat under the steering wheel, and otherwise he or she must be able to enter and exit from the rear seat and the passenger side of the front seat. Patients with spinal injuries must learn to get into and out of the back seat where they travel lying down.
The standard procedure is for the therapist and the patient to make their way to the clinic parking lot and to there practice the necessary maneuvers. Obviously this is neither safe nor convenient. The patient is exposed to the packing-lot traffic and weather, either of which can be inhospitable and can make the training very difficult or impossible.